Jeremy's Choice Series : Part 01 - Under Compulsion
by T1gerCat
Summary: Jeremy is compelled to leave Mystic Falls, we all know that. The question is what happens next *Part 01 of Jeremy's Choice*
1. Compulsion

Part 1 : Compulsion

**A/N:** _After watching Jeremy being kicked out of Mystic Falls courtesy of Damon acting upon the decision of Elena and Alaric, I knew I had to give the kid some closure. This is his story after he's gone from Mystic Falls._

Jeremy parked his bike and waited in front of the two story house. It was a faint yellow color. He wiped his brow that was dripping sweat; god that amount of heat should be illegal! He sat on the porch and thought of his journey.

He left Mystic Falls and he didn't look back.

A massive blow down with Elena that started with him doing drugs after his parents died and ended with him being rebellious and losing his job at the Grill after their guardians, John and Jenna died, had him packing and on a plane to Denver.

He remembered his father had a younger estranged sister who lived in Denver. He didn't even remember the woman but something in his chose to go to Denver and meet her. However a huge black guy living at his aunt's house (or at least the address he somehow remembered) told him she had moved a few years ago and gave Jeremy the forwarding address. That had him renting a green Kawasaki and a map and driving for twelve hours straight to Phoenix, Arizona.

He was lost in his thoughts when a cab stopped in front of the house, behind him, and a woman in her late thirties stepped out followed by a girl with crunches who winced with every move. He had never met his aunt but the woman's eyes were identical to his dad's.

"Can I help you?"

She asked him.

"are you Renée Gilbert?"

"Dawyer now but yes I am. And you are?"

Jeremy fidgeted for a moment before blurting

"Jeremy Gilbert"

Renee's eyes widened and slowly a huge smile creped on her face and she enveloped him in a huge hug that had him gasping for air.

"Oh my god! Grey's kid"

Renee let him go and turned to the girl.

"Jeremy this is my daughter Bella, bell this is my oldest brother's son, Jeremy. Look at him, isn't he adorable? I haven't seen you since you were a tiny newborn baby"

Renee introduced them and started pinching his cheeks like he was still a baby

"help"

He called to his cousin who smirked and pointed to her crunches shrugging and immediately winced at the pain that coursed through her. He sent her a glare and she rolled her eyes

"Mom let the guy breath. He's still mounting his bike for crying out loud"

Renee dropped her hands and scolded him. Or attempted to.

"You're riding a bike? Do you know how dangerous that is? Can I go for a ride?"

she dropped the scolding and asked hopefully. Before he could say anything Renee mounted the bike, pushed him to get off it and rode it away. he was gob smacked! his cousin face palmed herself snickering.

"Ignore mom, she always sucked at parenting. Wanna come inside?"

She asked and Jeremy nodded. Bella hobbled in front of him, unlocked the door and motioned him inside. he dropped on the soft sofa and he was so tired he fell asleep immediately.

When he woke up the sun had gone down and he could hear voices coming from another room. Someone had covered him with a soft blanket, he noted with a soft smile but the voiced were shouting now so he stretched and went to see what was going on.

In the foyer stood two people. His cousin, Bella who was balancing on one crutch and a red head guy who was trying to calm her down but she wasn't having it.

"Edward this is too much. We've been together for what, a week and look at me!"

"Bella, love"

"I'm not your love! You can't love someone in a week Edward. Can you understand that?"

"I've loved you ..."

"You've snuck into my bedroom and watched me sleep for a month. That's not really helping your case!"

"What do you want me to do?"

"I... I need a break. I need to think"

"Think what?"

"if I want to be with you. All I can think right now is what happened at the ballet studio and Alice's certainty the baseball game would be nice and safe. Guess what, it wasn't!"

"You asked me not to leave"

Edward's face took a superior expression that made Bella's stomach recoil but her broken body stopped her from moving.

"And now I'm taking it back. Every time i close my eyes do you know what i see? Not James but you! You refusing to get the venom out. You willing to let me die"

Tears rolled down on her cheeks. Edward moved to wipe them but she flinched.

"Please leave"

"Bella, love please reconsider"

"Leave"

at that Jeremy had enough. he wasn't sure why but something on her tone made him grab the baseball bat that was on a corner and join the couple

"I believe she asked you to leave"

Bella wiped her tears and turned to face her cousin.

"Jeremy you're awake"

Jeremy ignored her and opened the front door motioning the red head guy to get out. Bella repeated

"Edward leave"

Edward nodded solemnly and left. Bella let out a huge breath she didn't realize she was holding. Jeremy closed the door

"Nice guy"

he snickered, Bella chuckled but stopped short with a pained expression on her face

"Don't make me laugh please"

Placing an arm around her Jeremy helped her hobble on the living room and get settled on a large armchair with her broken leg resting on its matching ottoman.

"What happened to you?"

"Fell down the stairs and through a window. Broke a leg, four ribs, some cracks in my skull, bruises covering pretty much my entire body and lost a ton of blood"

she grimaced. Jeremy looked in amazement and then suspicion colored his voice

"Did he push you?"

Bella looked down and then quirked a corner of her lips

"Not directly"

she mumbled and touched her bandaged right wrist. a distant memory trickled his mind and he grabbed his dufflebag taking a small pill bottle from within.

"When I was little and my sister helped me break my arm, my dad gave me this. He said it heals all wounds as long as you stay in bed the next twenty four hours. it healed my arm"

He explained fingering the small bottle.

"Was that before or after the Easter bunny had a tea party with the Tooth Fairy?"

Bella joked. Jeremy laughed and rolled his brown eyes

"I'm telling the truth!"

he exclaimed and just then Renee came in the house with a large happy smile etched on her face.

"I haven't been on a bike since I was your age Bella. Grey had one"

Jeremy choked on his saliva, Bella was looking at her mother amused as if the latter was an overexcited toddler and she was the amused mother.

"Grayson? my dad, Grayson had a bike? are we talking about the same Grayson?"

Renee laughed heartily and nodded

"Its my happiest memory of him. Before things changed"

"What do you mean, changed?"

"I'll tell you both in a minute. First of all did you take your painkillers bella? Can I get you anything?"

"I got them earlier mom, I'm good now"

"did Edward call again?"

"she dumped him"

Jeremy butted in and Renee smiled brighter, Bella glared at him but he ignored her.

"Good girl!"

Bella rolled her eyes. Renee saw the bottle in hands and took it

"Where did you get that?"

the smile was gone off her lips and a freaked out expression came to life on her face

"it's dad's. he always said it cures everything"

Renee chuckled darkly

"it does, its a little tricky though"

"Wait you believe that?"

Bella asked her mother who nodded and answered in a serious tone

"it fixes everything the ring doesn't prevent"

Bella's eyes widened

"should I take it?"

"yes, you should. it won't hurt you"

Bella unscrewed the lid and gagged at the rusty yet sweet smell of the vampiric blood. she raised an eyebrow at her mother who nodded and Bella drank it all with one gulp

"Cheers"


	2. Ghosts

Part 2: Decisions & Ghosts

**A/N**: _I know that Damon didn't tell Jeremy to forget about all the supernatural stuff he knows back in Mystic Falls but personally I think it makes more sense that he forgot those too. Would you leave your sister and everyone you love behind to face all that supernatural stuff and never look back? _

Shortly after drinking the 'magic cure' Bella fell asleep as her body began to mend itself and Renée took Jeremy to Bella's room to talk to him. She asked about her brothers but the news weren't what she expected. Grayson had died last year with his wife at some freak road accident and John had passed away only four months earlier on the same day Jeremy's other guardian, Miranda's sister, died.

"Aunt Renee can I ask you something?"

"Anything, just call me Renee"

"Why haven't I met you?"

"I got in an argument with your dad when your 'sister' was born"

Renee chose her wording carefully as she had no idea if Jeremy knew that he was an only child. She may projected the image of the free spirited woman but she was always more observant than people realized. She had been raised like all the founding families in Mystic Falls, Virginia. That's why when her brother's girlfriend made an appearance ready to pop out she was unable to keep her mouth shut. Jeremy's words interrupted her musings

"I know Elena is adopted"

"Do you know who her parents are?"

"Only that John is her father"

Renee sat back on the bed and started her story. Jeremy listened fascinated as she didn't pull any punches.

"I was born in Mystic Falls. Grayson was ten and already knew he'd be a doctor like dad and John was five and more interesting in looking what's under the girls' skirts"

Jeremy laughed at that

"When Grayson was old enough to take over dad's practice, dad resigned and we, mom, dad and I, moved to California. The night before we left dad threw a party to celebrate that Gray would be taking over and after most of the people left, including our parents and only the family remained. A girl showed up ready to pop and disappeared the next day leaving her newborn daughter behind. No one realized that the teenage girl was John's jailbait girlfriend and i was never one to keep my mouth shut. Especially when john convinced gray to keep the baby, no questions asked"

"Wait you mean dad just took Elena?"

"Yes, there is no paperwork of her adoption"

"Elena found out last year she's adopted but i never knew there is no paperwork"

Renee nodded.

"Growing up i was closest to gray but college changed him and we had drifted apart. me, insisting on finding the girl's dad only made things worse. So I kept my mouth shut and left with our parents. Not long after that I met Bella's dad, got married and had our bundle of joy. neither Gray nor John came to her christening."

Jeremy frowned. While Renee's story pictured john to be the selfish idiot he knew, her opinion on his dad was alienating.

"I had kept in touch with your mom and when you were born, she called me for yours and i came. I remember Melinda was complaining about Elena's terrible two's and was offering advice for Bella when john shared his opinion on me being a terrible mother for divorcing Bella's dad. I snapped and called him on being elena's biological father when grayson slapped me. I left the next day and never heard of them again"

Renee shrugged.

"I'm sorry. I don't remember dad being like that but he and I never saw eye to eye"

Jeremy confessed and Renee chuckled

"if you're sixteen, just left home and have a bike then you're a teenage me!"

Renee laughed ending the sad conversation and tucked the boy in. Next morning found Jeremy perfectly refreshed. Bella woke up also perfectly refreshed. For the first time in that week she was able to breath deeply with no pain at all.

"I'll be damned. The blood actually worked!"

Were her first words of the day. Renee hadn't slept at all, plagued all night by the ghosts of her dead brothers and vicious memories. She attempted to make pancakes for breakfast to clear her mind, but she was unable to even pour cereal so she failed miserably. The burnt stench forced Bella to throw the pan, the mixture and her mother out. Renee came back soon carrying a huge stack of pancakes from Ihop and a Shaw to cut the cast out.

"It healed you. Now try not to get killed in the next twenty four hours. I'd hate to have a vampire daughter"

"Where the hell did Jeremy find vampire's blood?"

Renee checked the room before leaning in and replying in a low voice

"Remember when I told you Mystic's history? During the first 'Broom project' in 1864 my ancestor Jonathan Gilbert was the record keeper. Remind me later to tell you where their copies are, by the way. In those records he mentioned some of the attributes vampire's blood has. There is some stored in the family vault, I suppose Grayson showed Jeremy where it is before he died"

"You think he knows about... Hi Jeremy, want coffee?"

Bella changed her question as Jeremy joined them. An important question burned at the back of her mind but she was unable to voice it.

'How did they extract blood from vampires when Edward said they have venom and also why did Carlisle say James' venom would kill me when the vampire's blood I took last night just healed me?'

After breakfast Bella took Jeremy out to show him around. the two went to a small nearby carnival. It was filled with kids but soon the two cousins were having the time of their lives on various booths winning various stuffed animals. Then they moved to the bumper cars where they bumped not only on each other but tailgated every single kid around them till all the kids ran to their mommies. The two cashed the rest of their tickets and went to an old playground Bella loved. Jeremy bought Bella cotton candy as they swapped life stories.

"What made you leave your home?"

"A bunch of stuff. my parents, my sister who decided she'd run my life, my aunt and uncle, my girlfriend. I just needed a fresh start, you?"

"Boyfriend issues mainly. I missed my mom too so I threw caution to the wind, told some hurtful things to my dad who tried to get me to reconsider and left"

"some family!"

Bella chuckled and stood to throw their trash away. above the trashcan was the death note of a cyclist that died a few days ago. Bella sent a silent prayer for him and returned to Jeremy who stood by the swings talking to said dead cyclist.

"Some family indeed"

She chuckled darkly to herself and walked to them.

"hey Bella, this is Craig. he says he's a ghost"

Jeremy added the last part under his breath.

"He is. Check the note above the trashcan"

She whispered back and turned to the ghost.

"hi Craig, I'm Bella"

Jeremy returned from checking the death notice of Craig sanders looking ashen. Something told him he should know about ghosts but trying to remember more made his brain hurt. he felt as if he was hitting a brick wall around the subject in his mind so he just went with it.

"you can see me? both of you?"

Bella nodded her head. Jeremy asked the ghost which looked really alive

"do you know what happened to you?"

"i went to buy milk and this car hit me. I never got the milk home and my mom had to feed the baby"

"would you like us to get the milk to your mom?"

Bella asked seeing as Jeremy was sort of freaking out

"can you?"

Craig asked looking really hopeful.

"of course we can, right Jeremy?"

she asked Jeremy who nodded. the three teenagers walked to the drugstore to buy baby formula and then Craig led them to his house. A woman in her early forties was swaying on a porch swing cradling an infant. she smiled tiredly as she saw them

"can I help you?"

"mom!"

Craig exclaimed and knelt in front of her

"are you Mrs. Sanders?"

Bella asked and the woman identified she was. Jeremy looked at a loss for words and simply told her he was sorry for her loss

"I'm so sorry for your loss Mrs."

The woman broke into fresh tears, not knowing what to do Bella decided to steal some of Melinda Gordon's actions.

"We're friends of your son Craig and I know that he is really sorry he never delivered the milk"

She said placing the bag on the ground next to the swing. The woman kept crying.

"I miss him, I miss him to much. i never should have sent him with his bike"

"I never blamed her, i should have been more careful"

Craig said shedding a few tears himself

"I'm sure he's not mad at you Mrs. Sanders. You shouldn't blame yourself"

Jeremy said and watched as Craig kissed the baby softly on its forehead which laughed happily and touched his mother's hand and faded into thin air.

"What was that?"

Mrs. Sanders asked no one in particular. Bella and Jeremy looked at each other

"I think it was Craig"

Jeremy said and he and Bella walked to Renee's house together.

"I see dead people"

"Shout that a little louder and Bruce Willis will want to star at a movie with you"

Bella joked

"I'm a freak"

"You're not a freak, you're unique"

Jeremy chuckled and Renee ran out of the house hugging both teens.

"so kids... who wants to go to Vegas for the weekend?"

"Las Vegas?"

Jeremy asked

"I have sixteen years of birthday gifts to make up for young man, will a stripper do?"

"Mom!"

Bella exclaimed as Jeremy nodded like a bubblehead and Renee went back inside to pack

"she doesn't mean it, does she?"

"Welcome to the family Jeremy Gilbert. Hope you're in for a bumpy ride"

the two teens laughed and went inside themselves.

**THE END**


	3. AN

Hello everyone, this isn't a double update so so sorry, Vampires-suck1993 asked me to help promote his/her awards so read on

**Dear Readers,**

**I, L. West am hosting the BLOODLUST AWARDS to honour the wonderful authors that continue to entertain us with such wonderful and creative ideas.**

**Everything you need - links and rules can be found on my author profile and story posted. My author name is vampires-suck1993.**

**If you don't want to e-mail the nominations, you can leave a review or simply PM me. (vampires-suck1993).**

**Nomination should be in by the 8th of November as voting begins on the 14th November.**

**You can type bloodlust awards on google and go to the wordpress blog for moore information. If you have any enquiries the email is bitelilwest1993 (typo on profile).**

**Hope to hear from you and thank you for your time.**

**Vampires-suck1993**

I would appreciate if I saw my name on the nominees list but that is your choice. I already know the authors I'll be nominating ;)

Have fun my lovelies,

T1gerCat


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